Jianghu Qimen Lu

Chapter 37 Personal Testimonials

Seeing the old monk's formidable skills, the goatee-bearded ronin named Yagyu Densei touched his swollen mouth, instinctively taking a step back, not daring to utter a sound! It was the young and handsome Japanese samurai, Fujibayashi Jonin, who suddenly stepped forward. With a shy smile, he slowly walked to the old monk, appearing quite innocent, and said, "Master, the 'Fire Cloud' you mentioned, we are good friends. He's a very nice person!" He even spoke fluent Chinese. Apparently, a qualified ninja, besides being proficient in martial arts, must also have a thorough understanding of the languages, customs, and geography of various countries—truly omnipotent. The old monk coldly smiled: "To befriend you bandits is like seeking a tiger's skin, digging your own grave! Don't mention 'Fire Cloud' again! My poor child, blown to bits in a single explosion!" His words were tinged with sadness, a poignant reminder of the past.

Seeing the tears welling in his eyes, Fujibayashi knew he was truly moved and chuckled inwardly. He spoke with sympathy, however, "Actually, Brother Huo, we are just as saddened as you are by his side. After all, we were once comrades-in-arms! Alas, it's all the fault of the Qing court's cruelty and ruthlessness. They used the Ten Great Tortures and literary inquisitions at the drop of a hat. Did they ever treat you Han people as their subjects? Those hundreds of thousands of Manchu foreigners rode on the heads of you, a Han population of hundreds of millions, and acted arrogantly. By what right? To prevent your resistance, they implemented a policy of isolation, preventing outsiders from contacting you, afraid of instigating you and awakening you! Master, in truth, your country is already destroyed! Such a vast..." "A great nation, a great Han people, was swallowed up by a tiny Manchu! It's utterly astonishing and incomprehensible! Where is your Han dignity? Where has your indomitable and hardworking tradition gone? I cry out for you! If you hadn't just passively endured and groveled, but instead stood tall and stood up together to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty, wouldn't there have been a whole new world!" The old monk quickly gestured to stop him, saying, "Don't shout nonsense! If the soldiers find out, they'll arrest you and accuse you of plotting a crime!"

Tengri Ninja said meaningfully, "Therefore, our common enemy is the Qing Dynasty, the government! Master, you shouldn't hate us; you should stand with us to fight against the Manchus and avenge Huoshaoyun!" The Red Moon on the tree chuckled inwardly, "So this is the kind of fallacy the Sun Gate uses to brainwash traitors like Huoshaoyun! No wonder that small Japanese country has been eyeing China so intently; they want to follow in the footsteps of the Manchus!" Looking at the world, Western countries are undergoing a massive industrial revolution, engaging in global trade, and achieving bourgeois society. However, the current Qianlong Emperor implements a policy of isolationism, failing to connect with the world in culture, economy, and science, and failing to learn advanced scientific ideas and technologies, thus hindering the progress of social development. As a result, we have regressed by more than five hundred years, remaining in a corrupt feudal society! This cannot be said to be anything other than Qianlong's responsibility! And the responsibility of the Manchus!

Seeing that his words made some sense, the old monk released Musashi Ichiro and sighed, "I've lived for over sixty years, and of course I have some insights. After listening to you and thinking about it carefully, it's clear that the Manchu government did things differently from the Ming Dynasty! They forced us Han people to wear Manchu clothing, shave our heads and keep queues, saying things like 'Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head.' Anyone who didn't shave their head was beheaded. They also established so-called 'Manchu boundaries' in the capital and various prefectures and counties, not allowing Han people to cross them! It's said that even high-ranking officials in the capital, if they were Han, could forget about gaining real power! This Qing court, from the inside out, from beginning to end, truly never integrated with us Han people, but instead desperately excluded and restrained us, and..." "And they forbid any scholar or writer from uttering a single disrespectful word against the Qing Dynasty! They implement a horrifying literary inquisition! They truly deprive the vast majority of Han people of any human rights!" Seeing that he was gradually falling into their trap, Fujibayashi Jin smiled happily and said, "Now, Imperial Envoy Bai Shandian is chasing after the strange book 'The Complete Book of Jianghu' everywhere. His only purpose is to fear that someone will rebel against the Qing Dynasty and consolidate the Manchu Qing regime! According to our ninja informants, that 'Complete Book of Jianghu' is actually still in the incense house of the Southern Fist Sect! They are crying 'stop thief!' Their aim is to frame the world's number one thief, Red Moon! To put her in a desperate situation and make her the target of everyone in the Jianghu!" Upon hearing this, even Red Moon, who was hiding in the treetop, was greatly surprised.

"So your purpose in coming here isn't just to collect the body of your sect leader, Black Sun? Perhaps it's..." the old monk asked, somewhat doubtfully. Fujibayashi's eyes flashed with an incomparably brutal rage as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "To retrieve the extraordinary book, 'The Complete Book of Jianghu,' at all costs!" He then explained to the old monk, "Firstly, to avenge Brother Fire Cloud, and secondly, to curb the arrogance of the Qing court and make them restrain themselves! Of course, if you, Master, could join our ranks, that would be even better. Afterwards, we will give you a generous reward!" The old monk was neither a virtuous monk nor someone who had renounced worldly affairs; upon hearing this, he was immediately tempted and hurriedly asked, "You mean silver? How much?" Fujibayashi smiled and said, "If I could gain your full cooperation, Master, I would be willing to offer you 100,000 taels of silver from my own family as a token of my sincerity." The old monk beamed and clapped his hands repeatedly in approval! Tenglin Shangren smiled and asked, "Master, what is your esteemed name? In which sacred mountain or cave did you ordain as a Buddhist monk?" The old monk, seeing his refined speech, extraordinary demeanor, and amiable nature, felt a connection with him and readily answered truthfully. It turned out he was none other than Kong Dun, the previous leader of the Beggars' Sect, who had previously served Huo Shaoyun. Ever since Huo Shaoyun had gained the leadership after being taught the Poisonous Iron Sand Palm by Hei Taiyang, he had harbored jealousy and resentment, frequently instigating trouble among the Beggars' Sect members, causing Huo Shaoyun much humiliation and loss of face in front of his brothers. However, Huo Shaoyun was extremely patient, not only not offended but also inviting Kong Dun to restaurants for drinks and meat every day, constantly addressing him as "Master," and doing everything he could to win him over. Kong Dun, originally a gluttonous and rebellious disciple expelled from the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, couldn't withstand such devotion. Gradually, he came to accept Huo Shaoyun and secretly helped him, thus securing Huo Shaoyun's position as the Beggars' Sect leader. In reality, Huoshaoyun was merely a puppet. The Beggars' Sect members always followed the lead of the monk Kongdun, because he was a true Shaolin Kung Fu master, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills. Huoshaoyun was killed in a bombing for treason, and the entire Beggars' Sect scoffed at his fate, believing he deserved it and should be executed. Kongdun outwardly showed no reaction to the matter, but he was deeply saddened by Huoshaoyun's end, having received many favors from him over the years. He secretly sent someone to collect Huoshaoyun's remains from the execution ground and buried them in a secluded place.

Fujibayashi Jinnin glanced at the ancient pine tree and sneered, "Master, do you know the girl who just fled here?" Kong Dun laughed, "Although we met here by chance, based on my many years of experience in the martial world, I deduce that she is very likely the infamous Red Moon, the number one thief in the world!" Upon hearing this, not only were the Four Fiends of the Underworld greatly surprised, but even Red Moon, who was hiding in the tree, was full of admiration. She thought to herself, "This old monk is indeed a true disciple of the Shaolin School. He actually recognized my sect at a glance just by my tree-climbing lightness skill. He is truly amazing and cannot help but look at me with new respect!" Knowing that there was no point in hiding any longer, she had no choice but to jump down and land lightly in front of Kong Dun. She curtsied and said, "This humble woman, Red Moon, greets Master Kong Dun." Kong Dun Jie Jie chuckled strangely, "Red Gate Master of Rongmen, no need for such formalities! I don't care about such things!" He then turned to Fujibayashi Jonin and asked, "What happened just now? Was there some misunderstanding?" Seeing his protectiveness towards Red Moon, Fujibayashi Jonin dared not act rashly. He quickly made a 180-degree turn, his face beaming, "Oh, it's Red Gate Master of Rongmen! There must be some misunderstanding! Actually, Red Gate Master was my master's confidante in his lifetime, everyone knows that!" Although Yagyu Densei and the others were also displeased, they had all suffered at Kong Dun's hands and feared that the two of them working together would be even more difficult to deal with. Forced by the situation, they could only nod in agreement and echo his words. Musashi Ichiro suddenly asked, "Red Gate Master, as far as I know, weren't you arrested by the government and imprisoned in Hangzhou today? How come you're here?"